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childhood and adolescence
Carsten Maschmeyer was born in Bremen in 1959. The young Maschmeyer initially lived with his single mother in rather modest circumstances in a mother and child home in Hildesheim; According to his own statements, he was later brought up strictly by his stepfather. Maschmeyer graduated from the Robert Bosch Comprehensive School in Hildesheim in 1978.
After completing his training at the armed forces, Maschmeyer began his medical studies at the Hannover Medical School. In order to be able to finance this, he also worked in sales at OVB, a wealth management consultancy. From then on he concentrated heavily on financial advice in the company, which led to Maschmeyer being forced to exmatriculate at the beginning of 1982 due to too many days absent.
Maschmeyer’s beginnings as a financial entrepreneur
In contrast to his university achievements, his activities in sales were very successful, so that in 1983 he was promoted to state director. At that time he was already managing 3,000 employees. Despite his successes, Maschmeyer resigned from OVB in 1987 to set up an independent financial consultancy – the Allgemeine Wirtschaftsdienst (AWD). Afterwards it became known that – contrary to Maschmeyer’s statements – brother-in-law Kai Lange and not Maschmeyer himself had founded the AWD. Because it was only later that Maschmeyer joined the company with 900,000 DM and took over the majority and management of the company.
Since 1991, AWD has also expanded abroad. Among other things, AWD entered the market in Austria, Switzerland, Great Britain and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. In the summer of 2000, Maschmeyer listed his company on the stock exchange – shortly afterwards also in the MDAX. At the end of 2007 he sold the business to the largest Swiss life insurance group, Swiss Life, which subsequently renamed AWD Swiss Life Select.
Founding of Maschmeyer Rrup AG
In 2010, Maschmeyer founded Maschmeyer Rrup AG together with the former economist Bert Rrup, which primarily advised banks, insurance companies and political institutions on questions relating to health and old-age provision. However, after Bert Rrup left in 2013, the international company was dissolved.
Maschmeyer invests in future companies
From then on, Maschmeyer pursued his true passion: as an investor, he supports the establishment of future-oriented companies. For easier management of his investment projects, he founded the Maschmeyer Group in 2011, which from then on was responsible for the organization and support of the investments. Since then, numerous projects have been running under the strategic umbrella of the Maschmeyer Group. The seed+speed investment company founded as part of the Maschmeyer Group has been supporting start-up companies in sales development since 2015 and, according to their own statements, provides the early-stage companies with valuable management know-how.
Company of Carsten Maschmeyer
Carsten Maschmeyer has been involved in numerous foundations of future-oriented companies over the years. These include the biotechnology company HMNC Brain Health, which researches and develops drugs to combat depression and anxiety disorders. Other investment projects include Paladin Asset Management GmbH, an asset management company for sustainable value creation, and Biofrontera AG, which has developed a drug to combat basal cell cancer.
Maschmeyer’s enthusiasm for startups is also easy to see in the Maschmeyer Group’s company portfolio. Blacklane, barzahlen and pflege.de are just a few of the young companies in which Maschmeyer has invested. The financial entrepreneur also owns a full 25 and 43 percent of the company shares in event guide startup Mobile Event Guide and medical technology startup Syntellix. According to the financial entrepreneur, his more recent investments are primarily focused on the areas of artificial intelligence, fintech, blockchain and cyber security.
Maschmeyer becomes a juror in the lion’s den
It was not surprising when Carsten Maschmeyer was announced as the new den of the lion judges at VOX in 2016. The TV show is looking for startup founders who want to present their ideas and innovations to five successful entrepreneurs – including Carsten Maschmeyer – and convince investors to invest in their company. Maschmeyer was already involved in two records as part of the show: With an investment of one and 1.5 million euros in the startups Finanzguru and Smartsleep, he was one of the two biggest deals in the history of the TV show.
Pauline Breitner / Editor finanzen.net
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